ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Kaitlyn Hord and Tori Gorrell combined for 26 kills on .368 hitting while leading No. 8 Penn State to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 16-25. 25-22) win over Michigan in a Big Ten women's volleyball match Friday night at the Crisler Center.
Hord finished with a team-high 16 kills on .419 hitting and added six total blocks. It was her 10th match with at least five blocks this season. Gorrell tallied 10 kills on .308 hitting and contributed four total blocks.
Penn State improved to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten, while Michigan fell to 12-5 overall and 5-2 in the conference. The Wolverines started Big Ten play with a perfect 5-0 record – the best start in program history – but have now dropped back-to-back matches to Nebraska and the Nittany Lions.
Gabby Blossom and Kendall White each excelled at their respective positions. Blossom registered 51 assists, which was just one off her career high that she set in a four-set match against Stanford earlier this season. White came through with 21 digs, just one off her season high, which was also set against Stanford.
Jonni Parker was a workhorse for the Lions, finishing with 15 kills on 46 attacks. She added 11 digs and three aces, posting her second double-double in the last three matches.
Hord carried Penn State to a win in a close first set. With the score tied at 23-all, the sophomore put the Lions up 1-0 with back-to-back kills. They were her fifth and sixth kills of the set. She added two more early in the second set to give her eight on .727 hitting at the time.
Penn State used a late surge to take set two, scoring 10 of the final 12 points. The Lions trailed 18-15 before tying it up with a 3-0 run on a kill by Parker, an ace by Keeton Holcomb, and a kill by Gorrell. The Wolverines went back up one, but the Lions put together another 3-0 run, this time getting a kill by Serena Gray, an ace by Blossom, and a double block from Gray and Gorrell.
Following one more point by Michigan, Penn State used a 4-0 run to put the finishing touches on set two. Gorrell started the run with a kill, and Gray followed that with an ace. The final two points were scored on blocks, the first coming from Gorrell and Hord and the second a solo by Hord.
After dropping the third set, Penn State cruised early in the fourth as it amassed a 19-11 advantage. Michigan worked its way back to get as close as two, 24-22, but Gorrell closed the match with a kill. The kill came on a 30-second rally that featured nice plays from White and Holcomb in the back row.
The back row was solid all night for the Lions. Jenna Hampton totaled a season-high 12 digs, which was just one away from matching her career high. Holcomb contributed eight digs, matching her season high that was set in a three-set win over Oregon.
Paige Jones and Sydney Wetterstrom each had 16 kills for Michigan. Wetterstrom added 13 digs to finish off a double-double. Mackenzi Welsh also had a double-double with 48 assists and 12 digs. The Wolverines finished with a higher hitting percentage than the Lions (.272 to .228) but had four less aces and two less blocks.
Penn State continues its Michigan road trip when it takes on Michigan State in East Lansing on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match will air live on ESPN. The Spartans are 13-4 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten after beating Iowa (3-2) and Rutgers (3-0) in their past two matches. The Lions swept the Spartans by 26-24, 25-21, 25-18 scores at Rec Hall earlier this season.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
